18th c. Shoe Bows

I got my new red leather 18th c. shoes from Burnley and Trowbridge ,but because the latchets are slightly wider than my Fugawee shoes the buckles I was planning to use don't fit. What to do?

Copying from Judy I decided to throw on some shoe bows and a rhinestone buckle!

18th century Bumpad

Skirt supports are an important part of getting the right look for 18th century gowns. The look I'm going for is like this ca. 1790 Self Potrait with Harp by Rose-Adélaïde Ducreux.

The skirt is rounded in the back instead of on the sides as it would be earlier in the 18th century. Kendra at Demode has written an article about 18th century skirt supports that is available at Foundations Revealed. Kendra tested a bunch of different pad designs that she adapted from contemporary depictions and extant garments. I decided to do a variation of one she created from the a satirical print "The Bum Shop". From the number of similar bumpads on blogs this seems to be a popular option.

Pirate Fest!

The NorCal Pirate Festival is held in June right on the San Francisco Bay waterfront in Vallejo. I've never gone in costume, but it is an event where tons of people dress up, so I decided I needed a pirate outfit for this year. I wanted to do something a little different than the usual and tried to go for something a little bit 18th century, a little bit gothic lolita, and a little bit cocktail dress.

Jacket
From the Stash:

• Black linen blend in 2 pieces, one 1 yard 45" wide and one 2.5 yards 20" wide
• Two pieces of black cotton, total ~2 yards
• 1/2 yard skull and roses print
• 1/2 yard burgundy duck cloth for interlining
• 3 yards black grosgrain ribbon
• Fusible and fusible tricot interfacing

1875 Striped Day Dress

1875 Striped Day Dress Re-vamp

From the stash:
1. Remaining scraps of blue dyed pillow ticking from original dress, approximately 1/2-3/4 yards
2. 2 yards of navy blue ribbon
3. 1.5 yards of blue braid trim

Purchased:
1. 3 yards of blue braid trim
2. 3 yards of 2 inch navy blue grosgrain ribbon

1925 Fringe Front Dress

1925 Fringe Front Dress

From the Stash:
1. 2.5 yards black silk charmeuse in 4 different pieces, from the GBACG Open House raffle
2. Fabric flower

Purchased:
1. 1/2 yard burnout velvet
2. 1 yard 6 inch black fringe
3. 1 yard beaded trim

Headband

From the stash:
1. Purple taffeta ribbon
2. Green taffeta ribbon for leaves

Purchased:
1. 3 silver ribbon roses

Marie Stuart Cashmere Hood

From the stash:
1. 1/2 to 1 yard of irregularly shaped remnants of brown wool, originally from making a medieval half circle cloak
2. 1/2 yard of bias cut strips of copper silk dupioni, from large uncut piece

The hood was an alternative headwear option of the 1860s. Bonnets were mostly for daywear and hats were something the more daring younger ladies were wearing. Hoods are often seen as a nightime head accessory for things such as attending the opera. There are several hood patterns from Peterson's Magazine that are reprinted in 60 Civil War Era Fashion Patterns.

As for other patterns of the times, women were supposed to already have a basic understanding of the construction of these clothing items. Therefore the text mostly instructs the user on the colors and materials that are currently fashionable, rather than detailed construction methods.

Stash Organization

Almost 6 months since I decided to start sewing exclusively from the stash. It hasn't been going so well. I kept putting off publishing the initial posts so I could delay starting to use my new rules. But no more!

The Stash pre-organization